Curt Schilling's Official Blog

More questions and some good ones too…

Some more questions answered, and there were some good ones too. Easiest way for me to do this is to go down the list and cull what I think I can answer and do it in batches like this.

As I said earlier, once we move closer to the season this probably won’t happen as much but I’ll try and get to the good ones as time permits.

Q- Why is the fastball in effective on the first pitch?

A- The easy answer is wooden bats. College hitters, well most hitters, are taught extension to generate power. Using an aluminum bat makes you oblivious to hard stuff in because with aluminum you can get that ball out of the infield, even when you get jammed. That stops working when you get a wood bat in your hands. Hitters are, for the most part, “middle out” guys, meaning they look middle out for the ball, giving away the inside part of the plate. They do this because most pitchers work there, and the inside part of the plate is called a strike alot less than the outer half.

Q- Is Papi always happy? What’s it like in the clubhouse?

A- Yes. David is what I’d call a true soul. His heart is huge and so is his smile. He has his moments, like we all do, but he’s a guy that truly loves life and loves people. I can’t and won’t go into detail about goings on in the clubhouse other than to say it’s what keeps us sane.

There are more but those are the things I’ll turn the TV on, when we’re on the road, to watch.

Q-What’s it like being traded?

A-That depends on the player and the trade in my opinion. As someone with a lot of experience at it I can only speak to my feelings.

1st Trade-Boston to Baltimore (Brady Anderson and I for Mike Boddicker) I was shocked. I was getting ready to warm up to pitch the 2nd game of a DH and saw the ticker on ESPN, that’s how I found out. That one was exciting because I had no idea what it meant.

2nd Trade-Baltimore to Houston (Pete Harnisch, Steve Finley and I for Glenn Davis) I was crushed. Shonda and I had met only months before and she was from Baltimore. I thought I was going to be a fixture on that team and I loved the city.

3rd Trade-Houston to Philadelphia (Jason Grimsely for me) This one shocked me, and woke me up. This was the point in my career where I had to do some self evaluation about what I wanted out of my career. Everyone labeled this one a trade of disappointing prospects and I took that personally.

4th Trade-Philadelphia to Arizona (Travis Lee, Nelson Figueroa, Vincente Padilla, Omar Daal for me). This was expected. For three years leading up to this trade I’d been involved in trade rumors based on discussions I’d had with the club beginning in the 1997 season. Regardless of what’s been said and posted I never demanded a trade from the Phillies. Prior to the 2000 season the discussions had always been amicable, and the Phillies knew that I would waive my no trade if they found the right deal, but I never demanded that they move me. This deal happened after a long series of discussions and rather heated conversations.

5th Trade- Arizona to Boston (Brandon Lyons, Casey Fossum, Jorge De Lerosa and a Minor Leaguer for me). Another expected move. Though not as expected as the previous trade this one happened literally overnight. I thought that following the extensions for RJ and Gonzo and the comments that had been made by the club that they’d be looking to trim payroll, and I felt that meant me. I had a no trade but the minute I mentioned I might be open to waiving it the Dbacks told me they had a deal in place already, more than one. None of them were with the teams I’d ok’d, but once Terry was interviewed for the job I told them I’d consider the Red Sox, and within 2 days they were at my home.

As you can see there are many ways to look at being traded. Were you traded? Or traded for? That’s really something only you can decide.

Q-What will you do after you retire?

A-Not a tough one. I’ll be a dad, a husband and spend my days running www.38studios.com . That should be enough.

Q-What did you mean you were ‘guiding’ the baseball?

A- Think about playing darts. Aim at the bullseye, then try and toss the dart while thinking about aiming. Now aim at the bullseye, trust your mechanics and throw the dart. I do that with my fastball sometimes, generally on first pitches and early in spring training. It’s one of the things that spring training allows you to work on and ‘get back into the flow’ of.

Q-Walt Mcconnell? Someone asked me about him.

A-Walter Mcconnell was my best friend growing up in Phoenix. Walt’s mom and dad were literally surrogate parents to me since I seemed to spend every minute of every summer at their house. They are still very close friends.

Q- Who is going to be our closer?

A- I don’t know.

Q- What’s a typical spring training day like?

A- That varies. On days like today, when the club is on the road, I arrived at the park around 7:15-7:30. Got a morning cardio in, stretched and got loose, threw long toss and then threw a bullpen at 9:15. After that it was a workout, another cardio and the day ended with hot/cold contrast. Nothing earth shattering. There is no better time in the game to be a starting pitcher than spring training. If you focus and get your work in your days can be embarassingly short some times.

Q-Someone asked me about a story regarding Arod and a Yankee clubhouse person.

A- I hadn’t heard the story and I don’t care. Those things are nine times out of ten BS. I already made my share of mistakes commenting on things I shouldn’t and some of those things pertain to Alex. The things I said in 2004, after we won were classless and uncalled for and as I said last year I apologized for saying them. The only thing those comments did, and some other comments we made after that series, were cheapen what we accomplished on the field.

Q-Do I have contact with players from the ’04 team?

A- Yes. Derek Lowe was here the other day and we got a chance to catch up. On some level we all keep in touch for the most part. There are only so many hours in the day though and when you think about how many players you play with each year there isn’t enough time to keep in touch with everyone.

Q-How do I feel about Dan Shaughnessey?

A- Not sure that one needs answering. Dan knows how I feel about him and I think I’ve been pretty clear on that. I do know there are a lot of really good people in the media so I can’t/won’t and don’t allow the ones that have no respect for other people or who I feel lack integrity at what they do, jade me or force me to think of them all as ‘like minded’. For every bad one there are the Jayson Starks of the world.

Q-Have I ever played BF 1942

A- Yes, I was hooked on that one for some time between EQ and EQ2.

Q-Do I get tired of autographs?

A- No. The only turn off is rude people. These days it’s turned into such a nasty industry that the grown ups have pretty much ruined it for the kids. As long as people are polite I have zero issues signing autogrpahs.

Q-Do I have favorites in the media?

A-Who wouldn’t. My ‘favorites’ tend to be the people that you know love the game. I have never had problems with some of the ones I really like saying ‘bad’ things about me, because a lot of times I deserved it. The guys that players can’t stand are the cheap shot artists. Some guys make a living out of it. McAdam, Bradford, Stark, Simmons, Browne are some of the ones I respect. I think Amalie Benjamin is good and getting better too. This is a question that I am sure we’ll delve into at some point in the future.

Q-What happened to the ‘sock’?

A-The first one, the one that had a lot of blood on it from game 4 was thrown in the dirty clothes after the game. I didn’t think to keep it. There was a lot going on and saving that nasty thing was not something that was on my mind. The second one, from game 2 of the World Series is in the Hall of Fame.

Q- Would I ever want to do USO tours?

A- Absolutely. Unfortunately the one time I was asked, post 2004 World Series, I was headed into Surgery and on crutches. I was asked to go to Iraq with Toby Keith and a few others and it crushed me to not be able to. I said yes but it turned out my surgery might have posed a security issue.

Q-Person behind the scenes that I admire, think a lot of?

A- There are literally dozens. From the former head trainer in Philadelphia, Jeff Cooper, who saved my career in 1995, to Dr Craig Morgan who fixed me then. To my first therapist Phil Donnelly, Mark Anderson, Paul Lessard, Dr George Theodore who fixed the mess that was my ankle in 2004. Those are the ‘on the field’ guys that I have the immense pleasure of being friends with. Mark Versteegan, Craig Friedman, Sue Falson, and the others at API who made 2004 possible for me. They have been there for me for the last 3-4 years, helping me continue to pitch past the time anyone expected me to.

Then there’s the clubhouse guys, our second families. Frank Coppenbarger, Phil Sheridan, Sean Moore, Pookie, Kenyatta, Joe and the others. These guys make this life bearable when things aren’t going right. They’d move heaven and earth to take care of you and they do for 30 some people everyday. Their life is the grind of all grinds. 14-18 hour days during the season for crap pay. Players that care make sure guys like them are taken care of each year.

Russell Nua, Jack Mccormick. Two other guys that are HUGE to all of us.

Q-Do I get to pick the photo used on my baseball cards?

A-No. We have photo day every spring. Rookies have to show up at 7am! Vets get to come in later. We do a song and dance all morning, going from station to station for photos.

Q-What do I think about Ron Borges getting caught basically taking someone else’s story as his own?

A-I am not surprised, nor should you be. This stuff is not the norm but it’s also not surprising. Anyone remember the USA Today writer that basically filed stories from home? None of them were true. The problem is that some people, as in every profession, have no integrity and take no pride in what they do. The bigger problem is that the written word is given way too much credibility these days. I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating. Outside of the box score you need to understand that everything else you read about us, and about the game, has personal bias injected. Most times it’s not really relevant, but it’s there. The box score is still the only 100% factual thing written about a baseball game.

Q-What kind of hitter do I least like to face, the free swinging slugger or the OBP guy?

A-That’s a no brainer. I want that guy I know is going to swing. The OBP guy brings a whole set of problems I’d prefer not to deal with. More pitches, more foul balls, higher pitch counts etc.

Thanks for your honesty and your insights to life as a major leaguer. This is all pretty sweet. I have a ton of respect for you taking time out of your day to answer questions and chat it up with us about things that are on our mind. I think more players should, at least, try to have something like this. It would make fans closer to the game and huge fans like me feel even closer to the game that we love.

I just have one question and it’s not even baseball related, Can you let me borrow the Maserati sometime? Let me know, man. Thanks again!

All cool stuff, Curt. I have a question, and I’m hoping you consider answering. It has to do with Bonds. No doubt you, like any other pitcher he faces this year cannot avoid the circus like atmosphere the media will bring as Bonds creeps towards Aaron’s home run record.

The Giants visit Fenway this year and I’m not sure if you’ll face him or not.

What is your take on this? Do you think there will be any aversion at all to pitch to him because of his controversy with the federal probe and his ties to cheating with illegal performance enhancing drugs? That is, are there any pitchers you know who would rather give him first base than see him break Aaron’s mark?

And, what about you? How do you feel about all of this and, will you go after him, or award first? Would Terry ask you to walk him? Do you feel any other manager’s would walk him?

If you’re gonna keep answering, we’ll keep asking… I was in Fort Myers last week, and am curious to know what you all think of Matsuzakapalooza? Dice-K seems extraordinarily (perhaps uniquely) well-equipped to handle the Tiger Woods-like galleries, but I’m curious what effect if any it’s had on the rest of you. My sense is it’s giving a bunch of guys (Drew, Lester, Beckett, even Manny) some welcome relief from the white-hot spotlight. Upside? Downside?

Curt, have you ever considered writing a book about your experiences in Baseball? I find you to be one of the most articulate athletes in recent years and I think that your point of view would be something that fans would enjoy reading about.

Another question, I just returned from a week in Fort Myers and I noticed that spring training is as popular as ever. I am not sure if this is true for the rest of the league but at the City of Palms Park, it seemed a little nuts. Do you think that spring training has grown in popularity over the years?

Hi Curt. Do you think Johnny Damon is having as much fun in NY as he clearly had in Boston? It was fun watching you with Josh Beckett last year…it was clear you were rooting for him and helping him all you could. Will you do the same for Papelbon this year? Thanks for taking your personal time to chat with us….I love the Red Sox so much and you are giving us an insight we might never get otherwise. Here’s to another march to the World Series…..Kelli

How much does any player, but yourself in particular, think about your own candidacy for the Hall of Fame? Obviously with the career you’ve had, you’re in the very least knocking on the door, but does this affect your decisions (such as wanting to play in 2008) or is it more something that’s simply in the back of your mind? How much does your legacy in general matter to you?

Hi Mr. Shilling. I’m Kyle a 9 Y/O Red Sox fan from Hawaii. I just wanted to say that it is so cool that you have this site. Your my favorite pitcher so it was cool that, when dad and I we’re watching The Incredibles last night, I said that Mr. Incredible looks alot like you. Thats when Dad told me about this site and said I could ask you a question and that you might even answer it so here goes. When did you first start playing baseball? And could you say Hi to Manny and Poppie for me.

Curt, this is fun to read so far. I hope that you can keep it up. While you are doing the Q & A format, I’ll provide a few questions.

I always wondered if athletes can add anything to their game from watching other sports or learning about how other athletes train? Or, have you ever got an inspiration from video-gaming that gave you an idea for something in baseball?

Oh, and while I’m at it, do you have any favorite baseball books? And do you ever miss not being able to hit now that you are in the AL?

Curt,
Q. With all of your experience in all aspects of baseball life, from winning to losing, to being healthy – being hurt, and perservering through it all I can imagine you would have some great insight for the younger guys. If there was one thing you could tell the other guys, to help them have sustained success over a long period of time like yourself, what would it be?

WHEN, not if you get in the baseball HOF if it was up to you what hat would you where and why? if you could meet one person living or dead who would it be and what is the first question you would ask them?

It seems everytime i log onto 38pitches theres something new and always interesting posted. i have attended spring training acouple of times and it seems that is alot of teaching going on between the vets and the rooks i was just wondering if thats something you keep ontop of (I.E in the case of papelbon,beckett ect) or is that a product of theyre inquiring minds?

Hey Curt. Thank you so much for creating this blog. It’s really nice to get a little bit of insight into the players world that is distorted so much by the media. I feel like I can get a much greater sense of who you are as a person.

One of the people I am really looking forward to watch this year is Papelbon. There have been a lot of articles on the internet suggesting that he will get rocked in as a starter. I dont agree with this at all in part because he just seems like such an intense competitor. So my question is what is it (other than pure talent) makes players truly great?

My question: If it were possible to bring back some of the old time all stars – Young, Johnson, Cobb, etc. – how would they fare against today’s teams and players? Would they still dominate like they did in their own time?

Other than your thoughts on “Mitchypu” Mitch Williams, what was your first thought in 93 when Joe Carter won it all for the Jays? The game that you pitched to send it to Toronto in that series was one that I will always remember and one that should help put you in the Hall when you’re done. One of the many big games that you have thrown in your career. Thank you so much for this sight, allowing us fans to make contact with players they admire.

Chad
P.S. My wife and I always stay at the White House when we make it to Cooperstown each October.

Hey Curt, Any chance you can handicap the race for your 2008 service. It’s no secret that many of us in Philadelphia have wanted you back for years. Is there anywhere else you could see yourself finishing your career besides Boston or Philadelphia?

Curt, who do you like for the White House in 2008. Didn’t know if you were rooting for the former ballplayer and bigtime Red Sox fan, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and former US Sec of Energy and US Ambassador to the UN that went to boarding school in Massachusetts, and then pitched at Tufts University and then for the Cotuit Kettlers in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Just a word a encouragement. As others have noted, thanks for the blog! This has been by far one of the best blogs I’ve come across in quite some time. For those of us who enjoly breezing through the newspapers and sports related mazazines, this goes beyond the “breath of fresh air” category. Thanks for making the anticipatory feeling one gets with Spring Training even more fun.

I read you had played WoW before and im wondering… why (or how rather) were you able to stop playing it?!
But more importantly, if you ever get back into it, let me know.
Ill run you through a couple instances if need be , haha!
Heck, ill even send you some gold to get started!

That aside, i have another question for you.

Do you own or have you ever played Major League Baseball 2k7,
if so, do you think the attributes they gave to your virtual counterpart
are accurate?
Also, would you ever use it as a tool to help prepare yourself for batters
you may never have faced (since the game has full “inside edge” reports for every player in the game i.e.: Hot Zone , Cold Zone, Favored Pitches, etc..)?

Thank You for this blog. For many of us Red Sox Dieharders this is a real “kick” to be able to communicate, one on one, with a Red Sox player. To have it be a player that is as dedicated to the game as we fans are to the team is special.
I haven’t read through ALL the questions between this and the other post, but I’ll be surprised if this question hasn’t been asked in some fashion already.
Can you speak about your thoughts, feelings and perspectives regarding the Yankees Red Sox rivalry? I’m assuming you didn’t get a strong taste of it when you were first with Boston before going to Baltimore, but if you could touch on how your image of the rivalry has changed pre and post being traded back to Boston.

Have really enjoyed the blog and do not expect you to post as frequently when the season begins. Do you think the Spring Training season is more important to Pitchers, to Hitters, or to the Team in order to finalize the roster? Do you think it should be longer or shorter? Thanks, Jimmy

Thanks for the answer on BF1942, Borges, and preferring the free-swinging hitters. For some reason, Vlad Guerrero has always scared the heck out of me because of his unpredictability in what he’ll swing at and what he can hit iut. His grand-slam in the 2004 ALDS really freaked me out. I can see your point though about the bigger problems you need to deal with facing the OBP/OPS guys. I can’t imagine what it must be like facing power guys that hardly ever swing and miss like Bonds and Pujols.

I had the pleasure of taking a tour of Safeco Field today up here in Seattle. I had an absolute blast getting to go down onto the field and visit the dugout and the visiting team locker-room. I confess to a certain level of awe thinking of all the players I’ve admired over the years hanging out in that visitor’s club-house and that you guys will be there in late June. This led me to think of two different questions:

Having played in The Bigs for close to 20 years between both leagues, you have played in a lot of stadiums, some long gone, some brand new. Any favorites and least favorites among them all? My question applies to both a field/clubhouse-facilities standpoint as well as personnel/attendants that you have come to know over years of traveling?

I’m particularly interested in places that have been torn down or are out of baseball use like the Astordome, the Kingdome, Stadium Olympique in Montreal, Candlestick, the Braves old stadium, The Vet and any others that leap to your mind. I know this Q is probably hard to answer in a short Q&A format but just thought I’d throw that out anyway, perhaps to be saved for another day.

The other question is whether you have any kind of routine or list of things you do in some cities you visit? Could be golf courses, museums, restaurants or other places that are important for you to visit or are part of a routine on the road. I’m not necessarily asking for specifics, just curious if you know what you’ll be doing in places like KC, Chicago, Tampa Bay, etc before you arrive or if you play it by ear.

I suspect that after so many years in the game you probably have lots of old friends everywhere you go and probably have enough of a challenge trying to make time to see people you care about but I was just curious about life on the road.

Thanks again in advance. Your blog is incredible and I am constantly amazed at the interaction we the fans are able to have with you. Thank you a thousand times. 🙂

Your longtime fan,

Deane

PS Has anybody run across Mystique and Aura out there? Ever since you ID’d them as simply dancers in a nightclub back in 2001 they seem to have gone missing. LOL Well done sir! I still applaud you for that. 🙂

Sorry forr= adding another post after the last one got so verbose, but I just thought I’d add how excited I am about Papelbon pitching in the rotation. I share the opinion you stated repeatedly last year that someone of his capabilities is much more valuable pitching 200 innings per year than 50-70.

I saw Papelbon pitch in Anaheim in 2005 in a game that you came out and got the save in and he was incredible! I think he went 6 or 7 innings and only gave up one run.

I’m sort of stunned that RSN has almost forgotten he had a lot of great starts in the stretch run of 2005 and he’ll be a big reason that your opponents won’t get any kind of a break between you, Josh, Dice-K, Wake and Papelbon. That’s a whole rotation of #1 and #2 starters at the very least!

edg2791 brrought to mind something I’ve often wondered. Does the pitching staff ever offer tips to your own team’s hittting coach on things you see in your own player’s swings? Perhaps from facing them before they came to the Red Sox? Sort of a mini-scouting report like “I pitch so-and-so high and inside because he can never reach those.”

Just curious if there is sharing of info between hiitting and pitching staffs or if those are totally compartmentalized.

Curt, I am really enjoying reading your blog. If you ever have the time, and if it isn’t too personal, I would love to hear more about how you practice your faith on a daily basis, and if/when you had an “official becoming a Christian day,” if that makes sense.
Thanks,
Cindy

What you accomplished in 2004 was nothing short of heroic, and your playoff performance will forever be remembered as one of the guttiest in baseball history. Thanks for that, from the bottom of my heart. My wife was on a mission trip in India during the ALCS in 2004, and I *needed* you guys to extend that series and win it to get me through the fear and uncertainty of having her in some pretty hostile territory there.

My question is pretty simple:

How hard is it to pick up a new pitch? I know you are working on a changeup to compliment your mostly hard (split, fastball) stuff, and I love the idea. It would seem that most pitchers would benefit from adding quality pitches to give hitters more to think about, but you don’t hear stories on many pitchers adding offerings to their arsenal. It must be difficult.
I guess the follow up to that question:

If you have a guy with a monster pitch (Foulke-while he was there-and his change, Rivera’s cutter, Mussina’s knuckle curve for example) on your club, would you approach that pitcher to help you learn that pitch? I ask because it seems logical, but you rarely hear about it happening. Flash Gordon extended his career by learning a cutter with the Yankees, and Clemens picked up the split in his mid 30s to stay on top of the world. Paul Byrd is working on a curve, and has used Tom Mastny’s technique this spring to perfect it. Just some recent examples.

Thanks for considering the question, and good luck on a great season and all your off field endeavors.
JAS

Thanks so much for creating this blog! It’s a great idea, and I really enjoy reading it. My question is- to date, what is your biggest accomplishment in your career? And also, what do you think you’ll do with all your notes on teams when you retire??

Curt, what is your offseason workout like? Mostly shoulder and leg strengthening? If there’s one or two things professional pitchers have to do during the offseason that you think we don’t hear about, what is it? In other words, If you were a personal trainer for a pitcher trying to make his way, what would you have him doing?

I know (hope) you would never say anything bad about a teammate, but you must be concerned about these facts coming from your potential closer:
40 years old (happy birthday to him).
5 of his 6 highest appearance totals have occurred in the past 5 years, in his late 30s.
Highest OPSA of his career in 2006.
With runners on in any situation over the past 3 seasons his OPSA balloons to .778, then to .795 with RISP.
With runners on both second and third base his OPSA is now a catastrophic .949.
With RISP and 2 out it’s still high at .830.
In close and late situations it’s still .760.
To compare, Jonathan Papelbon’s close and late OPSA is .464. With RISP and 2 out it’s .329. With RISP in any situation it’s a heroic .305. Mike Timlin would be a disaster unless he just doesn’t allow any runners, which is not likely. I don’t think I need to tell you that Timlin’s stats were much worse in 2006 than the averages above from the last 3 seasons combined.
I know Timlin was “tired” after playing in the WBC and he was instrumental in the 2003-2005 seasons, but don’t his recent injuries alarm Red Sox doctors that it might be time to retire? Why didn’t he pull a Foulke a retire before the Sox had to pay him for 2007?

I always thought that if I had an opportunity to thank you and your wife for your work with the SHADE Foundation, I would do just that. A little over a year ago, I too, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. To make a long story short, a small scar on my face and a promise from the surgeon that everything would be fine turned into a 3 inch scar on my face. It was horrifying to me. After the diagnosis and second surgery, I remembered that your wife had been through this and had started a foundation and website. I found the website very educational and, believe it or not, comforting.

I now wear this scar proudly (even though most people never even notice it now-thanks to an awesome surgeon!!) I can now think of it as an opportunity to talk to others about the dangers of the sun and tanning boothes. My family and I are now proudly pale!!!

Anyway…thank you both for your work off the baseball field. Her work has comforted and inspired even a stranger (and lifelong Red Sox fan) from Maine…

I am not living in Boston at the moment, but it seemed from my perspective that very little coverage was given to his retirement. I realize that the World Series 04 was a huge collective team effort, but Foulke was an integral part of that. He pitched an unnatural amount in the postseason of 04, and undoubtedly kept us in with a fighting chance, particularly in Game 4 when he came in in the 7th and pitched through to the 9th. Why was so little coverage given to his retirement? I understand that we have to move on from 04, but surely his career, and particularly his performances in all of 2004, merited more attention from the Boston media? There seemed to be very few “eulogies” on his career, and what he achieved for the Red Sox.

In the not too distant future I will be telling my grandchildren the story of the gutsiest pitching performance in the history of baseball. Having been born and bred in the Boston area, I’ve seen some great ones since the late 60’s, but none hold a candle to what we all witnessed in ’04. I was also one of the many who were pissed to see you and Anderson traded. No offense to Mike Boddicker but, he was no Curt Schilling.

I’d like to ask:

1. This is tough to ask the right way. Has Shondas fight with cancer given you a new strength or sense of purpose as you approach these next couple of seasons? What do you draw strength from the most?

2. How do the guys in the clubhouse feel about your blog? Are they worried, amused, blissfully ignorant? Tito seems to like the idea.

3. Do you think some of the guys would be willing to participate in a Q&A on your blog?

I have tons more to ask but I’ll save a little for the eighth inning.

All the best for the season and one more World Championship!!
And… Thanks for the Memories.
Jeff

I do a media column in Boston (bostonsportsmedia.com/shots) and I’m fascinated by your undertaking of a Blog.

1. Wondering if you can either email me (bishkie@yahoo.com) or reply in a future post as to why you think now is a good time to try an adventure like this?

2. Is there a part of you that is doing this to be able to get your message out in an “unfiltered” manner?

3. Do you think you’re on the cutting edge as far as pro athlete blogs go? Will this become a more accepted way for athletes to communicate with the public after others see the success you’re having with it? Have teammates been responsive to the Blog?

4. Would something like this work as well if you weren’t in Red Sox Nation? RSN seems to be a very Blog-savvy fandom. . .

5. You obviously have a bit of a flare for writing (I first noticed in your SOSH postings) – do you have some writing (or sportswriting) inlfuences? Do you ever think you’d like to be a columnist or writer for a newspaper?

6. Have the Sox put any limits on what you can write (not that they could, of course, but I’m wondering if they had any discussions abnout the Blog with you).

7. Lastly, what were some of the names you contemplated for the Blog – as you know, that’s sort of a key initial step in having an effective Blog.

Best of luck and welcome to the Blogosphere! Thanks for your time.

I look forward to hearing back from you and/or reading your replies in a future post.

Hey Curt, what are your thoughts about Jim Rice and his exclusion from the Hall? He has some pretty interesting numbers that the voters shouldn’t ignore. Very comparable to Stargell and Snider to name a few. Also, I am aware that the Hall chooses which hat a player is inducted with, but if you had a choice, which would it be? Thanks for the blog, and I’m looking forward to working with the MA chapter of ALS again this year.

Thanks Curt for answering my question about guiding the baseball. Baseball broadcasters use the terms guiding and aiming the ball as opposed to throwing the ball frequently to explain a poor pitching performance ( I am an avid fan and listen to and or watch as many games as possible).
I have another question and I have heard you mention something about this before: How do play by play and color guys discern pitch types from the booth ? It seems an inexact science at best.

Thanks for all the info and insights and enjoy the rest of spring training. I was at your 200th win last year and I loved both the crowd’s and your actions and reactions. I hope that wherever you pitch in 2008 and beyond ( it should be here) that any remaining milestones are commemorated with such joy and respect. And thanks for 2004.

WHEN PEDRO WAS HERE BEFORE YOU ARRIVED ALL THE MEDIA DID WAS COMPLAIN HOW HE NEVER EVER TALKED TO THEM. YOU ARRIVE AND TALK AND THEN THEY BLAST YOU. THEY CAN GO POUND SAND.
YOU WILL BE
ETERNALLY REVERED IN BOSTON. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT ANYBODY SAYS OR DOES. IN MY OPINION YOU ARE A BOSTON LEGEND.

1.LARRY BIRD
2.BOBBY ORR
3.TOM BRADY
4.CURT SCHILLING

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON KEITH FOULKE RETIRING??
HE GOT A BAD RAP-HE WAS HUGE IN 04 PLAYOFF WORLD SERIES RUN??
HE SHOWED AS MUCH SACK AS ANYONE

Hey Curt, thank you again for spending your time with us fans. I was wondering how is the language situation with Matsuzaka and Okajima going? Does Matsuzaka have an influence on everyone in the clubhouse even Manny? How good do you think he is?

First I want to say that as a Minnesota fan, I am bred to hate coast teams and markets on principle. That said, I’ll have no choice now but to root for you, because so taking the time to do this blog, which is amazingly honest and informative, is absolutly awesome. I thank you so much for that.

I’d also like to know a little more about 38 studios and what kind of games you are planning now, and what your goals are for the studio far into the future. Baseball video games are somewhat behind the curve in my mind, and I’ve always been disappointed by them, but maybe you could be the John Madden of baseball games and really put some realism in there. Do you have any plans or ideas about anything like this?

Interesting point you make re: the Borges imbroglio & the importance given to the subjective written word.

My take on it: God bless the Internet, but this medium is only going to stretch credibility even more, further blur the distinction between reality and gossip. No matter what you might think of traditional journalism, it’s at least populated (mostly) by writers and editors who have been trained in the profession’s basic principles: balanced reporting, fact-checking, sourcing, the fine line between news & opinion, etc. In the blogosphere, it’s the wild west — anything goes, with far fewer checks & balances. We’ve seen what’s happened when traditional journalists (Borges, Barnicle, etc.) have broken the profession’s rules. What happens when non-traditional journalists start making up their own rules w/o editors and professional ethics to help filter them?

I see the Internet as a good thing. It’s where I get most of my information. But as far as the importance paid to the written word, I predict that as more people get their news and insights from non-traditional journalists, it’s going to become even tougher for people like you to set the record straight.

You’ve heard of the game “Telephone,” where one person relays a bit of information to another, and as the news gets passed down the line from person to person it changes bit by bit so as to be unrecognizeable by the end of the line?

I am a die hard Cubs fan, not to mention a baseball fanatic. I peruse through different teams sites, to get the lowdown on what other teams are doing. That’s how I came upon your site. I do, however, really like the Red Sox. I don’t know about you, but I was TOTALLY impressed with Dice-K. Wow. The Sox have three aces, yourself, Beckett, and Dice-K. If Papelbon can step up…. What I’m getting at is, you guys are loaded. The Crankees better bring thier “A” game. No joke. Well, I really just wanted to drop a line to tell you this is a REALLY cool thing you are doing, keep it up. BTW, I have always been a fan of yours.

First, I hope that everything works out in a way that you can finish your career with the Red Sox (may that day be long delayed!).

Second, although it may be a little off-subject, I just have to get it off my chest.

I work with homeless men and women for a not-for-profit organization in Waltham. In the past, I have also worked with similar organizations (the Salvation Army and Volunteers of America) that operated car donation programs. I hear the “Helping Hands of America Foundation” ads on WEEi and they mention your ALS Foundation.

Helping Hamds of America Foundation has been identified by Boston.com and the Quincy Patriot Ledger as an organization that contributes less than 10% of its revenue from donations to the actual charitable causes that it represents. This compares very unfavorably to the 80-90% that the Salvation Army and Volunteers of America contribute to direct service for the people that they serve.

In other words, Helping Hands apprears to use most of its revenue for administrative costs. The most charitacble interpretation is that they are highly inefficient. A close examination of their required report to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office will determine how much gets to the charities and how much is spent on salaries and “overhead”.

I hope that you will have your representatives check out the details of the relationship of the ALS charity and Helping Hands. I certainly hope that I am wrong or that they have cleaned up their act since the last report that they filed with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office as a not-for-profit. I would hate to see the fine work that the ALS Foundation does damaged in any way by an association with an organization that is not a good steward of the money that people give to it.

Mr. Schilling – Great Blog. It’s very cool that you’re doing this. I have a question and some supporting points for my opinion on the matter:

What do you think the chances are that the Sox renew trade talk for Todd Helton are and don’t you think he could be a superb addition to the offense?

Please see some of my bullett points as to why this makes sense below:
– He has a .430 lifetime obp – in an off year in 06 he still was at .404 with 94 runs scored
– His bat would make the line-up an On-Base Machine (Think of adding him to a lineup w/ Ortiz, Manny, Drew and Youk -all capable of .400 obp)- The offense would be exponentially better.
– With all that obp in the lineup the Sox would be consistantly capable of wearing down opposing pitching.
– With his swing he could use the Green Monster to probably hit more than 50 doubles.
– He is insurance in case of another JD Drew injury so we have someone capable of protecting Manny
– He has won THREE GOLD GLOVES
– The Sox bullpen is currently suspect to say the least so they need to score A LOT of runs and Helton is an impact player in terms of run production.

-It could be viewed as a pre-emptive strike agianst the yankees (Hear me out on this one):
If he is solid this year and the yankees either struggle up to mid-season or choke in the playoffs again or have an injury to one of their 1st basemen who is to say they would’nt go after Helton. It wouldn’t be the first time the yanks picked up on Sox failed trade talk and made the deal happen for them (See Arod & Abreau). The Rockies clearly are bogged down by his big contract and the yanks are everybody’s first phone-call when they need to dump salary (see Kevin Brown, Arod, Bobby Abreau, Randy Johnson etc). Think about it – As it stands now they have Doug Mientkiewicz and Andy Phillips penciled in to platoon at first. That’s hardly intimidating aside from Mientkiewicz good glove and Helton is no slouch defensively (three Gold Gloves). The yanks were also on Helton’s list of teams he would accept a trade to.
Think about the yankee lineup with the addition of Helton at first. It is downright mind boggling. It would be by far the greatest assembly of OBP in the history of the game. The yanks already have FIVE guys who have reached .400 obp at least three times each (Arod 3, Jeter 3, Posada 3, Giambi 7 and Abreau 8). Do you want to see a SIXTH guy added to that list? The prospect of this could be tough for the yanks to pass up and if you think they have no prospects they’d be willing to give up in the deal and that would stop them – think again. Their farm system isn’t as bad as many think it is and they would just pick up a ton more of the salary to make it happen with a marginal prospect(s) as opposed to a top one. Would any Sox fan want to see any of our starters against a yankee lineup that looks like that. I sure as Hellton wouldn’t (I’m an idiot).

I am fully aware of his age (33), the fact that he has several years left on a huge multi year deal and that he had a back injury a few years ago. However, in regards to the dollars owed, the Rockies will pick up a significant percentage of the rest of what he is owed to him so that the Sox could be on the hook for only 10 million a year. Despite his back and intestinal issues of the past he has NEVER played in less than 144 games or had less than 509 At Bats (That’s more than we can say for JD Drew).

Curt — Some in the Boston media are trying to position the recent name change of your game development company from “Green Monster Games” to “38 Studios”, and your recent post-game wardrobe of “38 Studios” apparel, as a sign of a deterioration in the relationship between yourself and Red Sox management. I know you have stated on this blog that the relationship “is not bad at all”, but was there a “Red Sox-related” reason for the name change?

Curt,
A group of Red Sox bloggers have come together this offseason to put together a list of the 100 Greatest Red Sox players of all time. The idea was to chronicle the best players to have ever played while looking at their time in a Red Sox uniform and not at their careers as a whole, rank them, and write biography’s/anecdotes for each. We’ve been archiving the list at http://top100redsox.blogspot.com and I have it on good authority (ok..my own authority) that you’ll be making an appearance on this list shortly.

Can you comment on the list, any players that stand out, your place in team history (still being written of course), and anything else that comes to mind while looking the project over?

A major debate was had among the group when ranking Roger and Pedro’s Red Sox career’s against each other. All I can tell you is that they are both in the top 10 and they are back to back in the rankings. Who would you rank above the other (considering only their time in a Red Sox uniform)?

First, I’d like to say that having this blog is a great idea on your behalf. I appreciate you going out your way to do this for us fans; knowing full well that you could be doing more productive things i.e. working on that change-up. For that I applaud your efforts on reaching out to us and hope your gaming company 38studios does well in the future.

What are your thoughts on the steroid investigation/scandal? In my opinion, as far as the investigation goes, what would be the significance of finding a player using steroids, for example, someone juicing back in the 1990’s going to prove? That being said, not only has steroids tainted the game, but from a fans perspective, everytime records are being set or everytime a player hits a homerun that travels 500+ feet, I’m hearing more people openly saying:”yup, he’s on something”. How do you feel about this state of mind that fan’s seem to be adopting now that the steroid era has become prevalent in Major League Baseball?
Thank you Mr. Schilling,
Sam

Thanks for the great blog. I truly appreciate your sharing not only a deeper understanding of the mechanics of pitching and the psychological/social aspects of playing… but also displaying such a profound love for the game that so many of us hold so dear. As a Yanks fan, although I haven’t appreciated your Boston contributions (or comments), I truly appreciate you as a person and baseball fan as exemplified through your writings… thank you, Curt, and keep up the great work as a pitcher and a thinker.

Curt – Thanks for this blog! Your insight and opinions are greatly appreciated by us avid fans. You are living a life most of us would have wanted if we were talented enough to make it! Keep up the Good Work and I also think a Helton trade is a no brainer – the sooner the better!
LI Mitch

Curt, First, like so many others have said, THANK YOU for giving us an amazing 2004 season. You couldn’t have written a better script for us die hard Sox fans! You will forever be a huge part of Red Sox Nation’s lore.
Having a tremendous passion for the game, it’s wonderful to be able to come onto your blog and read your thoughts. Again, thanks for giving us your time and insight.

This really is awesome to be able to ask you some questions. I have another. You really began to immerge as the dominant starter that you are today while you were in Philly. The coaching staff at the time was one that I always felt just fit right with the team, another reason why you guys had the success and closeness that you all had. “Irish” Mike Ryan, Larry Bowa, Fregosi, Vuk, Johnny Podres. You already spoke a lot on the impact that Vuk had on your career. How much of an impact did Johnny Podres have on you? I have met him a couple times in Cooperstown and have spoken to him about the 93 season. He just shakes his head and starts to speak as if he was right back in the dugout, pondering decisions that were made 13-14 years ago. He went into some detail about Fregosi’s decision to go to and leave Mitch in there to do what he unfortunately ended up doing. My dad is a big Brooklyn Dodgers’ fan and I was just wondering what your relationship with Mr. Podres was like. To me, it seemed that he and Dutch got the most out of that staff from top to bottom. Most of those guys you pitched with had career years all at the same time. Was part of this due to him? And, how much contact do you have with the rest of the 93 team if any?

Thanks for your time. I know that as the season starts, you’ll have less time to worry about all of your fans’ pointless questions like mine, but we all really do appreciate you giving us the time to pick your brain. Giving us access to you is something rare in the sports world. Take Manny for example…but we won’t get into that. I respect his decision to keep away as much as anyone else.

Hi Curt this blog is great!!!!!!!. I am a athlete in the Special Olympics and I have won Gold, Silver, and Bronze metals. When you retire have you thought about being a coach for special olympics? Could you say Hi to David Ortiz and Jason Varitek for me. Sometime could I show you my metals that I won from Special Olympics and I also want to show David Ortiz and Jason Varitek that also. Curt could you please email me at riley101hot2000@yahoo.com I would like that and Curt I will keep you in my Prayers. Tell Terry Francona he is a great mananger for me!!!!!!!!!!. Tell Josh Beckett to have a great season!!!!!!!!!!. Thank you Mr. Schilling and I will keep you in my prayers. Take care.

I hope all is well in FL. Just a question about the plunks that were exchanged yesterday. I know that in a season these incidents can take on a life of their own and snowball over time. One example would be the craziness between Piniella’s Devil Rays and the Red Sox that seemed to get worse each year until his departure last year. (“Mysteriously” things seem to have now settled down between the Rays and Sox.)

I never like too see our pitchers hit an opposing player unless the other team’s pitcher is being totally reckless and then of course there’s a right way to handle things like that. I’m not saying you did anything intentionally of course, but I remember seeing you pitch a day game in Anaheim in July 2004 where one or two off our guys got plunked, then late in the game you had a pitch “get-away” from you that dinked Bengie Molina (I think) in the side. I think the strangest/funniest part was that the Umps didn’t toss you, then Scoscia got steamed about it and he got tossed instead. We ended up winning the game and that was one of your 21 wins that year, among other memorable things that happened in 2004. 🙂

So my question is, did seeing Maggs on the ground after the hit in the head/hair (depending on the replay you see) freak anybody out in the Sox dugout? I’m glad that he’s going to be okay and was just a bit groggy afterwards. (Because of a defect in my character I can’t briing myself to worry about Gary Sheffield getting hit. Too much water under the bridge from his time in LA and NY.)

The other question about this would be: Is this a normal part of Spring Training since pitchers do need to regain the feel of their pitches? I don’t expect that Josh was trying to do anything intentional as the emotions between Tigers and Red Sox organizations don’t usually run that high. Just curious on your take on this since the media coverage on this, of course, didn’t make the Red Sox look too good.

Thanks again for everything Curt. Best of luck to you in your next start!

Hey Curt —
Another great blog out of you.. I love how i can get inside your head and get the straight deal from the horses mouth and not 2nd 3rd.. 7th hand from know-it-all columnists who claim to know what you’re thinking and going on with you.

My question is simply this:

Did you ever have a big problem with Petey being the #1 pitcher or yourself? I remember much was made about that.. it was said that pedro wanted to remain the #1 starter for the team when you originally came on board with the sox.. and some columnist floated the idea that you were insistent on being the opening day starter… You never really know how much of that is true when you read some columnists who think they know the answer in articles on an opinionated question like that..

It is really cool that you started a blog. I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. I know I enjoy listening to your voice and I do respect what you say. And yes, I am a Red Sox fan. But Jeter in the 9th? Where’s Phat Albert (1 through infinity), Ryan Howard, Vlad, Beltran and Vernon Wells all of the time plus much more? What did I miss re. Jeter? May be I just don’t watch the Yankees that much.
Love your Scott Rolen choice and Arod and Santana also – talking in non RS terms (and Foulke in the other thread talking in RS terms).
Anyway, enjoy your season. Let it be another 2004 and 2001 for you (and us).

I remember Walter McConnell! I think I went to Cub scout meetings at his house. I believe I played Little League with you Curt. I suppose I was a PVELL rival… I suppose everybody is your old distant friend, so I won’t pretend we hung out. It wouldn’t surprise me if we had some crossover friends though. Age & home turf are really close. Hey Curt.. Did you ever have Coach Miller at Shea? You probably got Haller…

Curt, With regards to your contract situation, why don’t you propose two contracts to the RedSox’s. One for if you have a great year, you deserve a extended contract with fair compensation. Two, if you have a poor year, a lesser contract, but, yet you stay with the Sox’s. It’s fair for both parties.

Many years ago, Andre Dawson when he played for the CUBS was having a bad year ( after he signed a great contract ), requested that the Cubs either cut his salary or donate it to charity ( he felt he let the team and ownership down )That’s a professional ball player !

Your an honarable person, show the sports world how it should be done. The Red Sox management would never purposely hurt you.

Curt,
Love the blog. Just a couple of quick questions, off the topic of baseball. Do you, with your busy schedule, ever find the time to play ASL anymore? Once retirement arrives for you, do you think you will get back into that aspect of your life a bit more? If you do remain with the Sox, and God in heaven I hope you do, if you want to pick up an ASL game at some point, let me know. New Bedford isn’t all that far from Medfield.
As for baseball content. As a life long die-hard Sox fan, I never truely thought I would live to see the day when we won it all. Thanks for being a huge part of that. My aunt, 80 years young at the time, and a life-long Sox devotee was moved to tears when you guys won, because she really never thought it would happen. I don’t know if you will ever get the full impact of what that meant for this region, but you were so much a part of that. I know we are a pretty intense bunch around here, but as far as I am concerned, you would have to axe murder a family of eight to get booed at Fenway. Keep on truckin, and know that the Sox fans love ya man. Hope you can find a way to finish your carreer here.
ASL player, and Sox fan,
Carl Nogueira

How many more purveyors of climate change have to "come clean" before the world gets the hoax? twitter.com/carbongate/sta…You never know how strong you can be until being strong is the only choice you have 2 hours ago